James Packer An Assault On The Public Interest

When I read about Packers dream of building a big fuck-off casino on Sydney harbour my stomach turns. In the media I see terms like ‘public cultural building’, ‘people-friendly community facilities’ and ‘iconic structures’ and it makes me sick.

Whilst sitting with my aunty over the weekend she recalled the opening of The Star Sydney Casino & Hotel on 13 September 1995. She remembers the marketing material at the time. “When the casino was opening they were promoting the revitalisation of the area.” She recalled cynically.

Have you noticed how much of a slow dead pan waste land that area has become? Honestly, is there any substantial cultural development going on in the area today? Do you honestly believe a a new casino is going to keep a promise of ‘people friendly community facilities’?

In the spaces around the Star City Casino, over the past few years, I been to a number of ‘wizz bang’ weddings and visited a few cutting edges office spaces (e.g. Google) and yet it still shocks me to see how this area of the city is remains a wasteland of polished buildings and quite empty lane ways. It’s a eye sore. There is so many great local community projects that would love to use this space. Opportunities that would breathe a new life into the city.

The Star City Casino is a cost we simply can’t afford. These economic rubbish bin structures leave us with a cultural wasteland.